A Woman Of Ice

LXXXIX- Feeling Epic, Then Feeling Whitney

It was nighttime, and Albus Dumbledore and Luke Castellan stood over Diana Black's bed in the hospital wing. She woke with a start.
"Ah! What happened?!" she cried. "How long has it been?"
"Calm down, Diana, dear," Dumbledore murmured. "Your spell worked. Remus Lupin is no longer a werewolf, thanks to you. Harry, Hermione, and Ron are out."
"You need to eat, now," Luke Castellan told her stressfully.
"I'm fine, my love. I need to find them all," she argued, standing up.
"No, you're really not," Luke said slowly, holding up a handheld mirror.
  "Oh my God," Diana Black gasped in horror as she saw her own decayed reflection.

Her eyes were a faded version of their usual blue. Her cheekbones were completely hollowed out, and the blood in her veins a horrid grayish color.
  "Oh, f**k."
  "Diana, it's going to be okay, we'll figure something out," Luke promised, placing a hand on her arm. "Aah!" he gasped.
  "Luke? Luke!" Diana yelled as he pulled away, gasping in pain, his skin a glowing hot red. "Oh, God!"
  Luke Castellan panted in pain as he held onto his aching hand. "F**k, that hurt."
  "What did I do to you?" Diana gasped as she knelt beside Luke on the floor as her face returned to normal.
  "Diana.... it's my demigod powers. They're week, something's wrong. I can feel it," he murmured.
  "Luke.... I'm sorry," Diana whispered, hugging him. "I'm so sorry."
  "Diana, when Professor Snape got you here.... he said that the cursed pin that you used to help Remus exploded within a minute, and all of that magic, from both the werewolf curse and the pin, must have somehow gotten trapped inside of you."
  "I don't understand, sir," Diana said quietly.
  "The pin steals magic, and the werewolf curse forces the afflicted to turn every full moon. Your curse most likely forces you to feed on magic," Dumbledore explained.
  "Holy sh*t."
  "Diana, you'll be fine. You can survive this," Luke promised.
"Oh, my God. Where's Sirius?" she asked suddenly.
  Professor Dumbledore smiled slightly beneath his serious demeanor. "Head down to the courtyard."

****

Diana and Luke ran down toward the courtyard, and Luke Castellan waited patiently and politely as Diana rushed toward Sirius Black, who had just said goodbye to Harry, Hermione, and Ron.
  "Dad," she called.
  "Diana. My dear daughter," Sirius nodded. "I'm glad you're alright. That spell was incredibly brave of you, you know. You probably saved my life. I am so, so proud of you, darling."
  "I know. Thank you, Dad. I love you," Diana murmured softly as she cried. "Please take me with you, I'm willing to do anything."
  "Hey, hey," Sirius whispered. "We will see each other again, as sure as the sun will rise. I don't want to drag you down with me; I'm your father," he tried sternly. "I know I'm not exactly the idea father, but—"
  Diana smiled gratefully. "You are. You really are, and I couldn't wish for any other."
  "You have no idea how incredible it feels to hear that, Diana," Sirius chuckled.
  "Goodbye. Dad," Diana added.
  "Goodbye, Diana. I love you, so very much," Sirius teared up as be mounted Buckbeak the hippogriff.
  "I love you," Juliana sobbed as she watched him leave, not knowing when she'd see him again.

Diana walked away from the Gryffindors as they enjoyed the bittersweet moment, feeling very differently about it.
  "What is it you want tonight? Anything, for the girl I love," Luke assured her.
  "I'll head back to London for a couple of days. I just want a Leaky Cauldron drink; the perfect drink," Diana Black sighed.

****

A somewhat defeated Diana Faye Black walked down a dark street toward the Leaky Cauldron pub. She walked slowly  in the cold night air, pulling her coat closely into her body as she shivered and cried with fear and sadness. A few Muggle men working construction on the side of the road seemed to notice her demeanor.
  "Hey, how about a smile, darling? It can't be that bad," a stranger called.

Diana ignored them sadly, walking into her favorite pub.
  "I'll have a cherry Burner, Tom," Diana sniffed.
  "What's wrong, eh?" a random patron asked.
  Tom the barkeep rolled his eyes, ignoring the man. "Diana Black. What's got you down? Your drinks are on me," he smiled apologetically.
  "Nothing, Tom. Just need alcohol," Diana grunted.
  "Chin up, princess, or the crown slips, eh?" a man called to her with an unsettling grin.
  "Come on, now. If something's got the power to get a tear out of the famous Diana Black, it's something real nasty," Tom persisted as he handed her the intense magical liquor.
  "Sorry. Not remember in the mood, Tom."

Diana kept drinking, now keeping her head down.
  "Oi," another pub patron whispered to him irritably. "Don't be such a prat."

The man looked over at Diana.
  "Miss," he called. "Are you alright? Can I help you with anything?" he asked compassionately.
  "I'm fine," Diana murmured uncertainly.
  "I'm sorry to break this to you, miss, but you're clearly not," the man continued. "What happened? I know that this is.... very, very strange, but don't worry, you can trust me," he promised.
  Diana sighed reluctantly and regretfully. "You wouldn't fully understand."
  The nice man sat down on a bench, inviting Diana to sit. "See, that's the thing. It's not always about understanding, miss. Sometimes all that really matters is someone who cares."
  "Well," Diana sighed,"It's my.... my dad. I just met him today. He's.... he did something wrong, and so now he has to leave. It's probably dangerous where he's going. I might never see him again, at least not in person," Diana whispered.
"All I've really ever known is that.... when the whole world is telling you to jump, you don't ask how high. You dig your heels into the ground," Diana replied.